Skinny Love
by The Awesome H
Summary: Levy McGarden and Lucy Heartfilia have been best friends for the last year. Now, as sophomores, the pair have set rather lofty goals for themselves - Levy plans to attend medical school next fall; Lucy plans on teaching Levy how to enjoy college. But they should know by now to always expect the unexpected. AU University. M for language/content. Various pairings.
1. Your Hair! It's Blue!

**Chapter 1: "Your hair! It's blue!"**

 _Ugh, okay, so I had to rewrite this story. Something just wasn't sitting right with the previous version so...let me know what you think of this one!_

* * *

"Come on, Levy. Stop being such a downer and just show us what it looks like already!"

Rebellion – she'd never done anything like this before. Always straight laced, Levy McGarden was having a hard to time believing this was really real. Her father was going to freak. If her mother were still alive, she'd have given her stern words. But neither of her parents could do anything to reverse the damage – it had already been done.

"No. I'm not opening the door, Lu!"

Fingers traced her hair from her scalp to the ends. Her eyes were smeared with mascara and eyeliner from tears. And her face was poofy from the crying fit she had found herself in moments earlier. How could she have done this to herself?

"LEVY. It can't be that bad. Just open up and let us see!"

"Yes, Levy-chan! A friend of mine said that it would only shock you for a moment. She's been doing it for years."

No. They just didn't understand. Things would be different now and Levy wasn't sure that she could ever change things back to how they were before. This was not okay. She was not okay. Another sob wracked her as she ran her fingers though her locks again.

"If you don't open up, I'm going to bust the door in."

"Yeah – we're going to break in, Levy-chan!"

Things would have been different if her friends had been the responsible ones…but alas, Levy had decided to do this all herself. She had to own up to the consequences of her actions. This was exactly why rebellion had never been a word in her vocabulary. She'd always messed up every shot she took.

With shaky hands, Levy collapsed her resolve. Her fingers moved to grip the door handle, twisting it and causing the door to unlock. A collective gasp was heard from her friends as she entered the room.

"Oh Levy!"

"EEEEEE!"

"Your hair! It's really BLUE!"

Yes, it was true. Levy's brunette locks were no longer long and luscious with the color of dark chocolate. Instead, they were now a permanent blue and clipped so that they fell just below her shoulders. Levy sniffed as she looked at her friends. Lucy with her perfect blonde hair that never seemed to have a strand out of place. Erza with her fiery mane that screamed fierceness. Mira and Lisanna with their pale white that had the coolest hints of purple. She hated all of them – all of them!

"It's so terrible!" Levy felt the tears swell again, but her hands quickly wiped them away. "I can't go to class like this. I'll be the laughing stock of the entire campus. The paper will read – 'Smart girl can't learn how to mix hair color appropriately.' I'll never be able to change it back! Never!"

She felt her life flash before her eyes. There went her medical school admission. She'd never be able to go to family events with her dad without seeing disappointment in his eyes. Everyone would laugh at her and distract her from her studies. She'd NEVER graduate now!

"You so dramatic, Levy." Lucy was the one to pipe up again. She was grinning from ear to ear as her fingers brushed through Levy's hair. "It's actually really flattering. I still can't believe you went through it. Someone must have said something that pushed you over the edge. What's next? Getting your ears pierced?" This brought a collective chuckle out of the other girls in the room. Levy had always been the 'good girl' of the group. She never stepped out of line, always obeyed the rules, and never did anything crazy. To her friends, coloring her hair an obnoxiously bright color was never too outrageous. They'd seen people do things to indicate their rebellion that were much worse. Besides, Levy was a sophomore in college. She had to learn to live a little eventually.

"But it's so terrible, Lucy! I look like a fucking smurf!"

"Whoa. Did Levy just say 'fucking'?"

"Yeah. I think she did. What a day, huh?"

"Are pigs flying? Is it the apocalypse?"

Levy flopped down her bed, burying her face in her pillows. Lucy shooed the other girls out of the room, giving Levy a little privacy and time to calm down. Lucy's hand ran along Levy's back, rubbing in a kind and calming gesture. "Levy, are you really that devastated by this?" Her voice was soft. Lucy had realized that her teasing might have pushed Levy over the edge. "Come on, Lev. We can always change it back in a few days."

Sobs poured out of Levy. A few days wasn't soon enough.

"But you know….why don't you let me help your do your hair for class on Monday? I bet you that I can make you love it if you let me."

* * *

 **Two days later…..**

It had been months since she had stepped foot on the campus of Magnolia University. Levy had missed her friends, but her summer had been full of working at her local library, volunteering at the hospital, and preparing for her admissions exam to medical school. She only had one more year to prepare herself, and if this year was like last year, it was going to fly by at super speed.

Levy was lucky that she had found a very supportive group of friends during her freshman year at MU. Without their friendship, Levy was sure she would have been stuck in the library all of her college days. Instead, she had Lucy and the others to pull her out of her studies and show her what college life was like. At the end of their freshman year, everyone had promised to help Levy come out of her shell when they restarted classes in the fall. Sophomore year was going to be her year!

Freshman year had been an eye opener for her. College had been much more difficult than she had been expecting, but she'd gained so many credits during school that she'd been bumped into higher level courses. Her roommate had been Lucy Heartfilia, and after some awkwardness in the beginning, the two had clicked as if they'd been best friends for life. Levy expanded her friendship base to include some upper classmen, Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss. Lucy had brought in more friends that were the same age as Levy and herself, and before they knew it, a circle of friends had been created.

That was how she ended up living in a giant house with all the girls this year.

That was how she had been convinced that changing her hair color would be beneficial.

Peer pressure was real.

"So, Lu, how's your dad?" Levy pressed her hands into the pockets of her dress. The two young women had class in buildings next to one another all day today. It made sense that they would walk from their house to campus together, catching up on everything that they had missed out on while Levy was gone for the last two weeks. Sure, it had been summer vacation, but Lucy and Levy discovered early on that they had lived pretty close to one another. This had prompted many shopping trips and girls' days out. It would have been hard to make it through the summer without her best friend!

"Oh, you know. As crabby as always. I wish he would just accept that I'm getting a degree in professional writing. He's not really on board with anything, unless I follow in his footsteps and get a degree in finances or medicine. Seriously - he's ridiculous." Lucy grinned at Levy for a moment. "You know – I'm glad he thinks you're a good influence though. Do you want to trade parents? I think you'd fit in as a Heartfilia better than I do."

Levy shook her head with a sad smile. She had hoped that Lucy's dad would have jumped on board with his daughter's decision once she was home for the summer. "I'm sorry he hasn't accepted that you want to be a writer. If it makes you feel any better, I think that you're a great writer and I know you're going to do amazing things when you're done." Levy didn't know what it was like to have a parent so concerned with the degree she was getting. Her mother had been the caring, nurturing parent, but just like Lucy, she had died when Levy was a kid.

A sigh escaped Lucy. "Yeah. Thanks, Lev. At least I can always count on you to support me. After all, it's not every day that your best friend gets accepted early in the medical program that your dad wishes you would have applied to." Lucy gave Levy a quick eye roll before they both started laughing.

"Hey, I haven't been accepted yet. Everything is conditional upon me passing my courses this year. I have to meet my prerequisites, you know!" Levy could feel a blush hit her cheeks. She'd received word that several programs already considered her a top contender. Her first entrance exam had been high enough to qualify her acceptance to most medical programs, but Levy was going to for the big gun – scholarship money.

"Levy, we both know you won't have any issues passing your courses. Have you told your dad yet?"

It was a tough topic to breach, especially since her father had only one goal in mind – Levy getting her MRS degree. As progressive as his daughter was, Mr. McGarden still hoped more than anything that Levy would be a stay at home mom, taking care of his future grandchildren and the estate he would leave her one day. He had never really cherished Levy's intelligence and pushed her to continue to thrive in an academic setting. It had really bothered Levy, but part of her wondered if he just wanted her to enjoy life instead of becoming more like him. He was a workaholic and he'd missed out on so much in her life. Dance recitals, academic competitions, awards programs. It hadn't surprised her when he didn't show up for her graduation because of some last minute meetings with his supervisors. They didn't talk much anymore, but he'd tried to make things right by taking her with him on a business trip to Europe for two weeks before classes started again.

Too bad she had caught his ploy to set her up with his best friend's son.

Needless to say, he hadn't been her type, but she had promised her dad that she would at least keep face with him during school this year. She hadn't been lucky enough to go to a university different than the kid and now she was stuck tutoring him in calculus.

"No." Levy muttered softly, her eyes looking at her feet as she tugged at the hem to her dress out of nervousness. "You know how he is. He wants grandchildren before I'm 25 and I'm overwhelmed by it! That's only a few years away and at this rate, I'll just be getting out of medical school at that point IF I'm lucky."

Lucy looked at her friend, tossing her arm around her shoulder in a sloppy hug. "Levy, you need to do what you need to do. This isn't your dad's life. It's your life. And if you decide to never fall in love with someone and have babies by the time you turn 25, that's purely your decision…..But I really think you should tell him what's going on. You might be surprised at his reaction. And, Lev, he's your dad." Lucy knew that her dad would come around one day. After all, this was a major accomplishment for his daughter! It seemed ironic to the blonde that their families were so different and so alike. Just like Levy and herself.

The pair approached the first building and Lucy stepped in front of Levy before letting her go to class. "Deep breath, smarty pants." Lucy said with a lopsided smile. "First day of class. You have blue hair. And you'll probably have a few panic attacks because it's different. Remember that you are cute as a button and that your blue hair is totally rockin'. Seriously – have you not seen all the approving looks from people as we walked here today?"

Levy's smile waivered. She'd noticed the looks, but they hadn't seemed too approving.

"Levy – don't you dare start to tear up on me right now. You have biostatistics in ten minutes and I can't have you ruining the makeup that I covered your face with. You look flawless – not that you didn't before…just extra flawless now." Lucy chuckled as she continued with her pep talk. "Now, go in there and learn some math, Tiger. If you still hate your hair tomorrow, we'll change it back."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Yay! I cannot wait to write more of this fic. Please R&R. Looking forward to seeing your feedback!

Please check out my Gajevy stories (if you're into that) "Nothin' on my Mind" and "Come Fly with Me."

This is my first AU 'modern' Fairytail fic and it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.


	2. Awkward Encounters

**Chapter 2: Awkward Encounters**

 _Another rewrite to go with the first chapter...l_

* * *

"Welcome back, Lucy."

His deep voice caressed her ears as she flipped through the pages of her text. A sigh escaped her, but Lucy didn't look up at the man talking to her. Of course, Loke would be sitting right next to her. One of the journalism majors in her year, Loke had been in almost every single elective course she had opted to take. It appeared that again, he'd be in her courses this year.

Loke was a good guy – sure. But his forwardness with his feelings for Lucy had always been a cause of strife between the two. Lucy was here to learn and had Loke actually asked her out instead of trying to get into her pants, Lucy might have given him a shot. Sure, she was in love with the idea of love and the steamy romance novels she borrowed from Erza gave her a lot of ideas, but Lucy didn't just spread her legs for every good looking man to walk her way.

"Loke, do you pay someone in the scheduling department? Because it's starting to get a little more than coincidental that you're in all of my electives." Lucy turned a page, giving him a look over the top of her book as she did so. He still looked as well put together as he had last year, and if Lucy had been bold enough to accept his offer of "getting together outside of class", she was sure she'd have the time of her life. He was a total charmer, a smooth talker, and actually, a really good partner to have review her papers. Their playful banter had often been a highlight of her day.

A soft laugh escaped him as nudged Lucy. "Come on, Lu. You know you missed me this summer. If it helps any, I definitely missed you."

"Laying on the charm rather thick pretty early on in the semester, don't you think? You're going to run out of compliments at this rate and then what will I look forward to every day?" Her sarcasm was not missed by others around them, however Loke's smile widened at her retort.

"My compliments are endless for you, my dear."

Her blush settled on her cheek at his last comment – obviously he had upped his flattery over the summer. Saved by the bell, as it would seem, the professor cleared his throat before she could reply.

It was going to be an interesting year - that was for sure.

* * *

Class was over before she knew it, and Lucy bundled her notes into her cute new bag. Levy had helped her buy it before classes and Lucy was pleased with her decision to do so.

"So, you up for editing sessions like last year, Lucy?" Loke pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stood to leave. "It doesn't look like our course load is going to be as easy as it was last year. This guy looks like he's going to be a total hard ass and I need to secure a decent GPA for an internship I'd like to apply to this summer."

"Yeah – that would be nice, I think. I really want to work on implementing some new character development techniques I learned at a conference this summer. I'll bring the notes I took so you can look them over too." Lucy hoisted her bag over her shoulder as she walked toward the door with him.

"Cool. I'll text you later this week?

"Um…yeah. Sure."

"Good." He paused for a moment as they exited the room in silence. "What are you doing this weekend? My fraternity is having a party and if you'd like to come, I wouldn't complain."

Lucy's eyes lit up at the invite. This would be the perfect opportunity to help Levy break out of her shell before classes got too involved and she went back to her little hermit hole in the library. "Hmm. Can I bring some friends?"

"If you mean Levy….." Loke hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "Actually, you know what, bring her along!"

"And Erza, Cana, Mira, Lisanna….." Lucy listed off several other names before she looked up at him expectantly. The guys in his house were going to love him – he just hit the babe jackpot.

 **Meanwhile on the other side of campus…..**

Anxiety crept up her neck. Were they looking at her? Was she sticking out like a sore thumb? Did her blue hair make her look like a weirdo? Did it clash with her eyes or her outfit? She was definitely changing it back as soon as Lucy let her.

"Levy McGarden?" Roll call. This class was much smaller than her previous ones. The professor seemed like he was interested in getting to know his students as best as he could, which was a good sign for the petite blunette. When professors got to know you, they could help you identify your weaknesses within the course. Doing so would definitely set her up for success.

"Present!" She squeaked as her hand shot in the air shyly. Out of all the other individuals in the class, Levy felt like she had to be the youngest one – it was a pretty high probability since it was a graduate level course. Seniors and graduate students occupied most of the seats, but this was biostatistics and unfortunately, a requirement for medical school.

The professor continued down the list of students, pausing for a moment as he read one of the last names. "And I see that Mr. Redfox has decided to grace us with his presence today."

A dark haired man sat in the back of the class, laughing at something is buddy said. Levy couldn't help but stare. He had so many piercings and his contacts gave his eyes a red tint. His hair was long and thick, something that obviously made Levy jealous. At least he had hair that was a normal color!

He wore a lot of black, but Greek letters could be found on his t-shirt that indicated he was a member of one of the more popular fraternities on campus. He appeared to be the very definition of rebellion. Piercings. Bad boy attitude. Muscles that made Levy's insides scream with delicious attention.

"Gihihee. I see you haven't forgotten me, Macao."

"Mr. Redfox, it's Dr. Macao unless I indicate otherwise. You'd be wise to respect my preferred designation or you'll be lucky to pass the class. I'm sure you remember last semester."

Gajeel's smile turned a bit wicked at that comment, but he slouched back in his seat. Levy's curiosity was piqued and her eyes continued to linger on him for longer than was appropriate. He just looked so….

"Whatchu lookin' at, Shrimp?" His voice tore her from her trance and Levy felt a red blush cover her cheeks as she quickly turned around in her seat. His tone hadn't been kind at all and Levy hadn't been here to make enemies. She was a good girl….she just couldn't help looking at him and wondering. Wondering about the piercings that covered his body and whether or not they hurt.

* * *

"Watch where you're going!" His voice hit her ears again as she felt her body lurch forward. Her books ended up scattered all over the floor in front of her – her notes from today's class crunching under the fall of his foot. She didn't know if he'd pushed her on purpose or if it had been an honest accident, but based on the smirk that covered his face, Levy took a guess that it was intentional. One of the dark haired boy's friends stumbled up behind him, giving him a high five as they walked out the door.

"She looks like she's five, ya know?"

"Yeah. Probably one of those freaks who advanced like six grades in school."

"Maybe we can get her to do our homework."

Their voices drifted away down the hallway and Levy closed her eyes as she sighed. She was strangely reminded of high school and the way she had always been picked on for being smart. Why was that such a bad thing? Intelligence was a great quality to have. Why was she considered a freak for being smart? Maybe it was the hair. It had to be the hair. People didn't get picked on in college, did they?

"Hey, you dropped this." A feminine voice caught her attention and Levy turned with a start.

Standing before her was a very beautiful woman. Her hair was blue like Levy's and it…well, it didn't look so bad. It looked really nice, actually.

"Um, thanks. I appreciate the help."

"It's no problem. I figured you wouldn't want to lose those."

"Yeah. It would be a rough start to classes if I did." Levy cracked a soft smile at the other woman. "Don't think I'm weird for saying this, but your hair…it looks really nice."

The other woman smiled in response, tugging at her blue hair consciously. "Thanks! I just had the color freshened up last week. Yours looks nice too! How often do you color it?"

Levy chatted with her for what seemed like an entirely too long period of time. Their names had been exchanged and Levy discovered that this Juvia girl was a junior, had ambitions to become an engineer with a focus on fuel development, and that she was a really sweet individual.

"Oh hey, I forgot to tell you something…." Juvia hadn't missed the shove that Levy had received earlier. "Ignore Gajeel and his friend. He has an attitude problem today, I guess. I could see him being a little pissed off that he's being showed up by someone younger than him, but..." Juvia trailed off for a moment. "Gajeel had a rough time last year in one of our professor's classes. And, no offense or anything, but you're quickly looking to be one of the better students based on your answers to the questions asked today."

Levy gave Juvia a weak smile in return before she finished shoving her papers into her own bag. "Yeah. He didn't seem like a nice person. I think I'm going to avoid him if possible."

Juvia just chuckled. "Come on, Levy. Let me give you my cellphone number so I can send you my stylist's contact information. You'll absolutely love her and if you don't love your hair already, you will after meeting her. I swear!"

* * *

Levy plopped down in a desk next to Lucy. It was the last class of the day and luckily, the literature course she had picked up happened to be the same one that Lucy had needed. "You know what I need?" Levy asked as she pulled out a pen and her notebook. "I need a shot of bourbon and some seriously good junk food. I'm thinking cookies?"

Lucy had her hand on her face, looking as tired as Levy felt. Seriously – the first day of classes were so draining. "Girl, I'm taking a nap for days. Oh, and don't kill me, but we're going to a party at Loke's fraternity on Saturday."

"Great. Lucy, I don't mind being your wingman, but…." Levy sighed with a smile. "A fraternity party? Really?"

"Hey, he asked and I couldn't say no."

More people filed into the large auditorium. This was a particularly popular course and the university had been required to expand to a bigger space to accommodate interest.

"Levy! Check out your hair! Way to go, girl!"

"Dude, you really look awesome. I can't believe you did it!"

"NO. WAY. LEVY MCGARDEN HAS BLUE HAIR! SO COOL!"

She even had a few people toss her a high five. Part of her was surprised that people knew who she was. The other part of her was even more surprised that the blue hair was a total hit. Lucy sat next to her friend with a cheesy smile on her face.

"See, Lev? I told you that it didn't look bad."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

R&R please.

So thoughts on this so far? Do you guys like it? Please leave me a comment or shoot me a message to let me know! I'm definitely feeling this story now that I've made some changes. It flows much nicer in my head than it did before!

Also, shout out to Math-Otaku for the reviews. I took your comments regarding Lily and reread my writing...I did put him in there to respond much harsher than I thought he had in my head - hence the removal of him from this chapter. Thank you for your positivity! It's been quite nice to see!


	3. I Hate Group Projects - Part 1

**Chapter 3: I Hate Group Projects - Part #1**

* * *

Tuesday flew by in a fit of uneventfulness.

Wednesday….well, Wednesday was the day that Levy McGarden saw her life flashing before her very eyes.

* * *

 **In Biostatistics Class…**

Levy couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Juvia was turning out to be a good friend rather quickly. They had more in common than Levy had first thought. "You really think you can get him to ask you out, Juvia?" The two blunettes were glancing at a dark haired student across the way. He had a look on his face that told everyone around him to 'fuck off'. Juvia was in love – she said his name was Gray and that she was going to marry him one day. That was what had prompted Levy's giggle.

"Of course. But first, I'm going to ask him to be my partner for the class project."

"Wait…class project?"

"Yeah. Didn't you read the syllabus?

Levy frantically flipped open her note book, tugging the packet of paper that she'd printed earlier that week. Project? Was there really a…..oh. There it was. She must have just overlooked it. They would be getting their assignments today and they would have the entire semester to put it together. Great. Who would she partner up with now? Maybe Gray would turn Juvia down. Maybe Juvia would have no other choice in partners besides her. Maybe she would get that lucky. If not, she was stuck with partnering up with someone else in the class – someone she didn't know. "Ugh. Who am I going to partner up with now?" Levy whined.

Her professor cleared his throat. Try as she might, Levy couldn't stay focused on the lecture. She was more concerned about this stupid project and who she was going to work with. Her eyes strayed to the other individuals in class, looking over each person and contemplating them as her partner. When her eyes latched onto Gajeel, she couldn't help but stare at him as she had earlier that week. She was the only one that he had given grief to in the last two class periods. What was his problem? Curiosity lingered in her mind. She really wanted to know how many piercings he had. Did he have any tattoos too?

Levy sighed and put her hand under her chin as she observed him. Her mind was all over the place with questions. Her hazel eyes didn't connect what she was looking at until it was too late. Gajeel's red ones locked with hers and Levy felt herself swallow hard. Caught red handed.

"Okay, class. Now, it's time for you to select your partners. I won't hold your hands though this. Remember that both individuals must participate for full credit or you'll fail the course. That includes you, Mr. Redfox. Once you have selected your partners, please be sure to send me an email to let me know your choice. I would suggest you do that now before you leave class for the day. You're dismissed."

Levy's palms started to sweat. "Wait for me, okay, Levy?" Juvia asked as she stood up from her seat, targeting the mysterious Gray fellow with her eyes. "It shouldn't take me but a second."

Levy just nodded, staring blankly out in front of her. What was she going to do? She didn't know anyone else! This was the worst. A few people gave her smiles from their seats, moving to stand up and walk over to her. Levy had smiled back, only for her mouth to droop when someone approached her potential partners.

"Oi, you!" Levy heard from behind her. Immediately, her thoughts screamed at her to find another partner. She couldn't be stuck with Gajeel Redfox. Didn't he have a friend in this class anyway? One look in the direction of said friend told her that he was partnered up with someone else – a nice looking girl too. Were people just using this to pair up with people they were interested in? Did they not care about the integrity of the project or their grade in the class?

"Shrimp! I'm talking to you." A mass of black moved in front of her vision and Levy choked back a surprised little scream. He was much larger than she had initially thought. He towered over her in height and Levy felt so small as she sat before him. "You got a partner yet?"

Levy couldn't get any words to come out of her throat. He was so intimidating and she was so….not. Levy gave a nod in response to his question, the truth of her 'no' a sad reality. She still needed to pass the class and the only way she was going to do so is if she actually completed the project…and to complete the project, she needed a partner. The universe was trying to make her cry, wasn't it?

"Fine. You got one now." Gajeel leaned toward her, his nose almost brushing hers as his face towered over the piece of paper she'd been writing notes on. His hand grabbed her purple pen and started to scratch something on them, causing her to shout an irritated 'HEY'. "That's my cellphone number. We should probably get started planning this stupid project sooner rather than later, so let me know your availability for tomorrow and Friday." Gajeel lifted his chin to look at her in the eyes. "I will not fail this project, so do not think that I will take it easy on you. Besides…." He pushed himself back up, towering over her once more. "It'll give you ample opportunity to stare at this good looking mug as much as you want." He laughed then, causing Levy to blush fiercely under his gaze. He was gone in a few moments and Levy was left to sit in the classroom all alone. It quickly sank in that she was going to be forced to work with Gajeel Redfox now.

Her GPA was doomed.

* * *

"Levy!" Her name barely registered as she walked toward her house. A few tears had fallen as she released her frustration. Levy knew she should have told him no. She knew that she should have found a different partner. But Levy was too late. There was nothing she could do about it now. "LEVY. Why'd you leave me?" Her face snapped up, recognition finally dawning on her features as she turned to look at the person calling to her.

"Juvia! I'm so so sorry! I completely forgot that I was supposed to wait on you."

The older blunette practically bounced with happiness as she met up with Levy. "Look what I got!" Juvia flashed a piece of paper in front of her face. "His phone number! Success!"

"Congratulations! I'm sure you'll have lovely babies. Just be sure to invite me to the wedding." Levy commented with a smile. She was still a bit upset at the whole partner situation, but she'd get over it after she had a glass of wine and tried to figure out how she was going to ensure an A in the class.

"Of course. Who'd you end up partnering with?" Juvia's question was an honest one. She had been to absorbed in Gray to see what had gone down with Levy.

Levy shuffled her feet back and forth, staring at her toes so that she didn't have to look Juvia in the face. "I got stuck with Gajeel."

"You're partnering with Gajeel?!" Disbelief sounded in her voice and Levy's eyes shot up to meet Juvia's.

"I had no choice. There was no one else left."

"Well, I guess the good news is that you probably won't fail. Gajeel is pretty smart when he wants to be. He might look like a metal head, but trust me – he shows me up in every class we have together." This caused Levy's eyes to bulge.

"You mean….he's actually smart? Why did he have trouble in…?" She let her question trail off as Juvia gave a sigh.

"Personal issues. Something to do with his fraternity and missing an exam that was due to a mistake in scheduling. I felt so bad for the guy…but it seems that he bounced back good enough to pass the course, otherwise he wouldn't be here."

Well, at least that reassured Levy. She might not be in as much trouble as she had originally thought.

* * *

 **Meanwhile on the other side of campus…..**

"I should text Lev and see what she's up to. I think all three of us have a break until 3." Lucy dug into her bag, pulling out her cellphone. She hadn't heard from Levy in the last two hours, which was very strange for her best friend. Part of Lucy was worried, the other part was glad that Levy was enjoying her class.

"But she's all the way over on the other side of campus, Lu." Lisanna commented, causing Lucy to pause in the middle of her text. "Why don't we just go grab some coffee and then head to our literature class? Levy will meet us there. Besides, she might want to stop by the library. I can't believe it's day 3 and she hasn't been there yet."

Lucy chuckled and tucked her phone back into her bag. "Yeah. You're right. I'll just get her a drink and surprise her when she gets to class."

"I think that's a great idea." Lisanna walked next to Lucy in a comfortable silence. Although she hadn't lived in the same dorm as Lucy and Levy, Lisanna had quickly become a close friend of both girls. She was the sister of Mira, one of Levy's friends from class, and upon realizing that Levy was a bit younger than herself, Mira had introduced her little sister to the two underclassmen. "How are your other classes going, Lu?"

The pair chatted the entire way to a small coffee shop across the road from their next class. Once inside, Lisanna went to find a table, while Lucy stood in line to order coffee.

The line was terribly long and it took forever to get their drinks, however the wait was most definitely worth it – this place had the best chai lattes ever. "Here ya go, Lisanna." Lucy smiled brightly as she approached the table her friend had picked. But Lucy stopped short when she realized that there were others at the table aside from her friend.

"Oh! Good! Lucy, you're back! Let me introduce you to some cool guys that I just met." Lisanna smiled at Lucy as Lucy's very own smile began to wane. "This is Bixlow, Freed, Laxus, and….Wait….where did he go?"

A loud crash occurred behind them and the entire group at the table turned to look. There, at the expresso machine, was a guy with redish-pink hair who was attempting to speed up the process of getting his coffee. Laxus, the blonde haired man across the table from the two girls sighed. "And that is Natsu."

Eventually, the missing member of the group returned to the table. It appeared that Lisanna hadn't been able to find an empty table, so she'd asked these four wonderful men if the two girls could join them. They'd agreed once they had placed eyes upon her and Lucy. Who would be stupid enough to turn down two pretty girls like them?

"Hey, you guys wanna come to a party this weekend?" Natsu asked them both as everyone stood to leave. It was almost class time and Lucy had to make sure that this cup of coffee got to Levy before it was too cold.

Lisanna was the first to pipe up. "Yes! Of course! You guys seem like a lot of fun. Here…let me give you my cell number and you can send me the details."

Lucy's eyes were wide – she'd already committed them to another party this weekend. Ugh. It appeared that she'd have to make two appearances. Not that she minded – these guys were pretty hot, especially this Natsu guy and that Laxus character. Lucy wondered who Lisanna fancied, but figured it was probably Natsu. She did offer to give him her phone number, after all.

"Sounds great! Hope to see you there too, Lucy."

Her mouth fell open at Natsu's statement. Did he really just pick her out over Lisanna? Walking out of the coffee shop, Lucy let a silly grin spread on her face. Maybe…just maybe…she'd find someone she truly wanted to date this year.

* * *

 **Late that night….**

Levy had calmed down over the remainder of the day. Juvia had done her best to reassure her that her project wasn't going to be a total bust – "The complete opposite, actually!" Dinner had been full of laughs and giggles as they each told each other about their days. Erza was the only one who wasn't in smiles. Apparently she was having issues with her on again, off again boyfriend Jellal. All of the girls thought they should both get over themselves and just make it officially official.

Levy retired to her room early to get some studying done. She had to stay on top of her course work or she'd fall behind too quick. She glanced over her notes from the day, her eyes catching on a bunch of chicken scratch on the side of her statistics notes.

Gajeel. She never texted him.

Pulling out her phone, she stared drafting out a message.

 _Hi, it's Levy from biostats. Sorry for getting back with you so late – busy day. Think we could meet up Friday night…8ish?_

Pressing send, it only took him a few seconds to reply back.

 _A Friday night? Do you not have a social life?_

Levy scoffed at the message, tossing her phone on the bed. She'd given him a time and a day. That's what he'd asked for, hadn't he? Her phone dinged again as she received another message.

 _Fine. 8pm on Friday. Meet at the coffee shop across from campus. The good one, not the crappy one. Don't be late – I have things I need to get done later that night._

Geez. He sure was rude.

 _Okay. That works. See you in class._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Really enjoying this. Things are about to get funny. How will Levy deal with the distraction that is Gajeel Redfox? Will she ask him about his piercings? Will she let him give her one? What about this Natsu character and his friends?

Saturday night is the big party(ies) - cannot wait! We're just getting started.

R&R appreciated!


	4. Bathroom Tissue and Rabid Bunnies

**Chapter #4: Bathroom Tissue and Rabid Bunnies**

* * *

The rest of the week passed by quickly. Levy never realized how fast days flew by, especially when professors started to pile on various assignments. Exams would start in a few weeks and the semester would be in full bloom. Lucky for Levy, she had a whole host of supportive figures in her life. Her friends were the rocks she had always needed, and if it wasn't for Lucy, Levy would have lost her momentum pretty quickly. Sure, she enjoyed classes and studying, but this was supposed to be HER year – the year that she really discovered who she was and what it was like to be Levy McGarden. The blue hair had been the first step in her journey of self-discovery. Her second step? This party that Lucy was so adamant about attending.

Levy's phone vibrated as she sat in statistics. With a concerned look on her face, she hit the center button and illuminated the electronic device.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Lev – emergency shopping trip tonight! No ifs ands or buts!_

Levy couldn't help the smile the spread across her lips. Of course Lucy wanted to go shopping – it was the day before the party! Unlocking her phone, Levy immediately started texting a response, however she was interrupted by a second text that flashed on her screen.

 _Gajeel Redfox: Pay attention in class, Shorty. We still meeting for our project tonight?_

Levy raised her eyes from her phone screen, connecting them with a pair of red ones that looked at her with a hidden smirk. Crinkling her nose, she gave Gajeel a frown before she drafted a reply.

 _Shrimp: I am paying attention. Maybe you should keep your eyes on the presentation instead of worrying about me. Of course we're still on for tonight – don't forget to bring your notes. I hope you know that I'm sacrificing a shopping trip for this._

Levy hit the send button and proudly reread her response. Satisfied that she'd gotten her message across, she switched back over to Lucy's message….only to be stopped mid thought once more.

 _Gajeel Redfox: No need to get sassy. I was just makin sure you had your plans in order. I wasn't kidding when I said was serious about doing well on this project. Better come with your A game._

Levy's frown returned and deepened as she read his text. As if she wouldn't come with her A game. Who did he think she was?

Her phone vibrated in her hand and she looked down to see yet another message from Gajeel.

 _Gajeel Redfox: You'll thank me for this one day, but you have toilet paper on your shoe. Thought you'd like to know._

Levy was confused at first before mortification settled in. Her eyes changed from being narrowed into slits to wide orbs that flashed from her phone to meet Gajeel's gaze again. He was obviously laughing as he watched her, which prompted a blush for form on Levy's cheeks. With a panicked dip down to her shoes, Levy bent her body over to pluck the white sheet off the back of her flats.

"Levy? Are you okay?" Juvia whispered as she noticed Levy hovering around her shoes. A few people were glancing at her, but Levy didn't notice. She was too mortified with the fact that Gajeel – her partner for the semester – had noticed that a piece of tissue had been stuck on her shoe. He'd never let her live it down. Ever.

"Just….had to tie my shoe." Levy lied as she straightened herself in her chair, letting the tissue fall in a crumpled mess onto the floor behind her desk. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. This was supposed to be the year that everything when correctly! Not a consistent flow of embarrassing events.

"Um, Levy?" Juvia questioned, concern obvious in her voice. Levy turned to look at Juvia, a breathless look on her flustered face as she tried to calm herself from her momentary embarrassment. "You don't have shoe laces to tie in your shoes."

Levy groaned in response, folding her arms on her desk and tucking her face into the opening they created. Her life was ridiculous.

* * *

 **Meanwhile on the other side of campus…..**

"I'm definitely going to have Levy help me with this." Lucy muttered as she attempted to work on her calculus homework. Sure, she was in one of her creative writing courses, but she didn't really need to pay attention. Lucy knew she had an A locked on this course but calculus….that was a different story. She didn't even know why she needed to take the damn math class. Hadn't her high school credits been enough?

Lucy's phone vibrated as she finally got a response back from Levy.

 _Levy 3: OH. MY. GOD._

A curious look appeared on Lucy's face as she quickly replied to her best friend's text message.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: What? Are you okay?_

It didn't take Levy long to reply. Appearing on Lucy's screen was a picture of Levy's shoe. It took her a minute to grasp what had happened, but a piece of tissue was stuck to it along with a copy of her text message to the Gajeel dude in her stats class. Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's mishap, imagining Levy's face a bright color of red as someone – a boy nonetheless – had pointed out the tissue on her shoe.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: It could be worse, Lev. Just brush it off like nothing happened._

 _Levy 3: Easy for you to say – you're so suave and I'm just so….awkward at life._

Lucy smiled and shook her head, tucking her phone away in her pocket. She'd barely put it away when another text came through, a vibration alerting her to the message.

 _Unknown: Hey! I got your number from Lisanna – I have a question for you._

Why was Lisanna handing out her phone number? And who on earth would this be?

 _Lucy H. (blonde with boobs from café – cute): Who is this?_

Anticipate ate at her. An unknown person had her phone number and needed to ask her a question. Lucy was expecting a quick reply, but it never came. Minutes passed and her anticipate grew into frustration. She constantly turned her phone on to see if she had missed the telltale vibration and after fifteen minutes of waiting, her answer finally came.

 _Unknown: Oh, yeah – this is Natsu Dragneel. We met at the café earlier this week. I invited you to a party at my fraternity. You said you'd come….at least, I hope you're coming. Anyway, I saw you in my calculus class today. Are you taking it?"_

Natsu? Who was…..Oh. She remembered. The guy with the reddish-pink hair. She'd thought he was cute and so had Lisanna, as it had turned out. Lucy smiled to herself, twirling a piece of her blonde hair around her finger.

 _Lucy H. (blonde with boobs from café – cute): Yeah. I'm taking calculus. And yes, we should be coming to your party. Thanks for the invite, btw. Did you need help with the homework or something?_

She wasn't going to admit that she was struggling with it herself. If she was going to make a good impression with Natsu and possible his friends (Hello, hunky Laxus!), Lucy figured she should pretend to be a well-rounded, highly intelligent individual like Levy. In reality, Lucy knew that she was nowhere near as gifted as Levy was, even if she had an above average IQ. Levy was a genius and from Lucy's experience, guys found that hot as hell, even if it was a little intimidating. Lucy was honestly surprised that Levy hadn't been snatched up by a guy before the end of their freshman year, but c'est la vie – Levy had to learn to get out of her shell before she even thought about boys.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Sweet. Yeah, I actually do need some help. I have a tutor, but….I'd rather try to figure it out on my own. Think we could get together before class on Monday and work some of these problems out?_

Part of Lucy screamed that she had successfully outwitted Lisanna in securing a study date with a guy that she liked. Another part of her screamed that she'd be a moron to try and pretend that she knew what she was doing.

Oh well. She'd just make sure Levy was around to help them if they got stuck.

* * *

Engrossed in her book, Levy didn't notice the shadow that loomed over her until her lighting was blocked. She'd loitered at the coffee shop most of the day. Her classes had been finished early and Lucy had gone back to the house to begin her "party" preparations. Levy thought she was being a bit excessive with her planning, but alas, Lucy liked to be the belle of the ball at every social event she went to.

Levy felt someone standing next to her and her irritation at the way they were blocking her light caused her to reach out and push them out of the way. The person didn't budge and Levy tried to continue ignoring them. A deep voice cleared their throat, causing Levy to reread a sentence twice. Silence graced her ears for a few more seconds before the individual repeated the action, causing Levy to snap her head up.

"WHAT?!" Her voice was irritated and she thought that her point had come across rather well with her tone. But as she took in the appearance of the dark haired man in front of her, Levy realized that he was the reason she was here to begin with. Him and their stupid project.

"Oi, is that anyway to greet someone who saved you from a life of embarrassment earlier today?" Gajeel had an irritated look on his face, which caused Levy to quickly compose herself and flinch back with a touch of embarrassment. She hadn't meant to be so rude, but her book was getting really good and he had interrupted her!

"S…sorry." She tucked her book away into her bag, tugging out her notes a few seconds later. "How…how was the rest of your day?" Levy was attempting to keep the conversation going. She wasn't exactly sure how she should approach their first study session. It wasn't like they were friends. Hell, Levy barely knew his name, let alone anything else.

"It was good, I guess. Let's get started so I can get out of here. I got things to do." Reaching into his own bag, he pulled out a pair of glasses and slid them onto the bridge of his nose. The appearance of the bifocals made Levy take a step back from her earlier thoughts about him. Sure, he looked rough with all the piercings, his dark unruly hair, and his awful personality, but the glasses softened him up a bit and Levy felt herself relax a tad.

"Um, sure." Levy shook herself back into reality, sighing and looking down at her class notes. "It looks like we need to structure a presentation to show how to appropriately use this biostatistical test." Levy pointed to the assignment on the sheet she had printed from her email earlier that day. Of course, they had gotten one of the more difficult assignments. Levy wasn't sure if their professor had given it to them out of hate for Gajeel or love for Levy. It was probably a touch of both.

They bantered back and forth about the project for a good hour before a yawn escaped Levy. It was 9pm and she was already tired – what an exhausting first week it had been. Gajeel, being the ever observant man that he was, noticed his partner's growing tiredness. He sighed heavily before speaking up. "Looks like you've hit E, Shrimp. Want to continue this another time?"

Levy stretched her arms above her head, another yawn escaping her. "Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea if you're okay with it? I've got a busy weekend ahead of me and could use some rest. Plus, you said you had some things you needed to take care of tonight." Levy repeated his earlier statement, curiosity behind her words as she spoke them. What was he doing this late at night that was so important anyway?

He cleared his throat before he started to collect his things and Levy followed suit shortly. "Yeah – I do have some things I need to do. We can work on things more next week. I think we have a pretty good start anyway, but next time, do us both a favor and refuel with some caffeine before we start working on this." Levy rolled her eyes as she finished pushing her last notebook into her bag. He was such a jerk.

"Yeah – I'll be sure to do that, Gajeel."Levy replied as she tossed her bag over her shoulder. "Have a good night – see you in class on Monday."

Gajeel gave her a wave as Levy headed out the door of the café, turning at the corner and heading in the direction of her house. A ding alerted her to a text message and Levy tugged out her phone eagerly. She'd been anxious to see what outfit Lucy had picked for tomorrow's party.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Please come home soon! I need your opinion! Also, text me if you need a ride – you know how I feel about you walking alone at night._

Her friend's concern was sweet, but Levy knew she'd be okay. Her dad had made sure that she carried pepperspray with her, especially after he found out that she'd been trekking back and forth alone from the library most of last year.

 _Levy 3: Be home soon. Can't wait to see your outfit!_

Levy tucked her phone back into her pocket, humming to herself as she continued to her journey home. It would take her a good twenty minutes to walk home from the coffee shop and Levy used it as a bit of downtime to think about everything she had going on. Medical school was weighing heavy on her shoulders. If she messed up, she wouldn't be able to get into the school of her choice – Croccus University, located a few hours away. Their program was known for their high tech teaching and the success of their students. It would be a huge honor for them to accept Levy.

Levy also had her dad to deal with. She still hadn't told him about medical school. He frowned every time she had mentioned more schooling, but she was sure he'd come around eventually. After all – he'd be able to spout off to everyone that his daughter was a doctor. She hoped the prestige of early admission was enough to satisfy him.

And then there was her blue hair. Sure, it had grown on her over the last week, but it was still something new. Levy had made all these grand plans for her sophomore year – she was going to go to parties and join clubs and have fun. But the thought of all of these changes and experiences honestly terrified her. She was starting to explore the world and the thought of stepping outside of her comfort zone was not exactly the most settling feeling in the world.

Lost in her thoughts, Levy didn't hear the footsteps falling heavier than hers. She didn't feel the presence of another person behind her. It was only when a strong hand grabbed her arm did she react, and with a gasp, adrenaline coursed through her, throwing her into action. Her leg lifted in the direction of her attacker, knocking them straight in the chest as her hands came down on their back as they leaned forward from the impact. A soft "hi-yaaa" escaped her as she practiced her martial arts skills (albeit rusty ones at that considering she hadn't taken a class since she was a kid) on her 'attacker'. Just as she was about to pull out her pepperspray, a groan escaped the individual and Levy's eyes widened with surprise.

"What the fuck are you on, Shorty?"

Gajeel. Gajeel Redfox. Her fucking biostats partner. What was he doing following her?

"GAJEEL!" Levy gasped, dropping her defensive stance and letting the pepperspray fall on her keychain. Levy knelt to help Gajeel into a more comfortable position, looking him over as best as she could, noticing a cut along the side of his face. He'd probably have a nice shiner and possibly a bruised rib or two. For being such a short thing in a compact package, Levy was definitely a force of nature when she needed to be.

"Is this how you welcome every person who tries to walk you home? I'd been hollering at you for the last block!" His hand came up to his head, rubbing it as he tried to push himself to his feet. "So much for being a gentleman and making sure you got home safely. I just got my ass kicked by a short girl with blue hair."

Levy felt tears well up in her eyes. Had she known it was Gajeel, she wouldn't have attacked him like she had. "I'm so sorry. It was an accident! I didn't realize you were trying to get my attention!" Levy was going to lose her cool in a moment if she wasn't careful. Guilt ate at her as she looked at him pulling himself together. He had only tried to be nice to her and she'd completely beat him up.

"You'll just have to make it up to me later, Shrimp. But…do me a favor and don't tell anyone what happened." He gave her a wry smile then, laughing at the hilarity of it. Levy couldn't help but reflect his grin with one of her own.

"Well….I guess you could escort me the rest of the way home. We can clean up that cut and get you back to your fraternity without anyone asking too many questions. You can tell them that you…you saved me from a rabid bunny or something."

"A rabid bunny?" Gajeel questioned, uncertainty in his tone.

"Or something."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Levy seriously makes me giggle so much. I relate so much to the character I'm portraying her as, and I hope that you can too!

For those of you that are Lucy fans (like me too), her story is about to get started. Sorry for focusing so much on Levy in the beginning...it just takes a little bit to dig into Lucy's plot for this story.

Also...Nalu? NaLi? LaLu? LiLu? Miraxus? Jerza? Other ships? Let me know who you'd like to see in the comments. There are lots of options.

Upcoming Gruvia and more Gajevy in the next chapter! 3

R & R appreciated!


	5. All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 1

**Chapter #5: All My Friends Are Wasted - Part #1**

* * *

"Levy, just…hold still a second. I'm almost done."

Juvia tugged at her outfit, ensuring the material settled finely upon her curves. Levy was the last one to occupy the bathroom – all the other girls had dressed themselves to kill. The way the other girls looked intimidated the blunette, causing her significant anxiety as she pushed passed Juvia.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Levy muttered as she held up the outfit that Juvia and Lucy had picked out for her.

"Yes. Trust us – it's a good idea." A smile appeared on her friend's face. Juvia was working her way out of the bathroom, giving Levy the privacy she needed to get herself ready. "Juvia wouldn't have let you wear something that was too risqué." The junior gave Levy a wink as she referred to herself in the third person and Levy gave Juvia a weak grin in response. She didn't have a good feeling about this. "Don't get your hair wet, Levy." Juvia warned with another grin. "Don't ruin those extensions before you get to use them, besides…my stylist does good work and with that outfit…." A low whistle sounded from behind Juvia, indicating Lucy's participation in the conversation. Levy blushed as the two girls laughed.

* * *

As Levy shut the door to the bathroom, Lucy reclined on her bed. The bathroom was across the hall and she'd invited Juvia to chit chat while Levy was mentally and physically preparing for her major debut. "Thanks for helping Levy today." Lucy said with a smile. "We're really glad that you could come with us. Levy talks about how much fun she'd had with you in class this week – I hope we'll be seeing you more often as the semester continues."

The compliments caused Juvia to blush. She'd never had close girlfriends and tended to be a loner of sorts instead. Sure, she'd latched onto Gajeel during freshman orientation a few years ago, but aside from those she met through the dark haired man, Juvia didn't really have friends of her own. Well….at least until she met Levy and decided to compliment her hair color. "I hope so too!" Juvia replied, settling into Lucy's computer desk chair.

"Have you ever been to a frat party before?" Lucy asked the other woman, deciding it was the best way to carry on the conversation about something relevant. Part of Lucy thought that Juvia looked like she'd be a lot like Levy – quiet, reserved – but in her eyes lurked a little something that Lucy couldn't pin point. So when Juvia finally replied, Lucy had to do her best to hide her surprise at the admission.

"Oh yeah. Plenty. My best friend is actually a brother of the one we're going to. He invites me to as many functions as he can. I had been planning on attending anyway. The guys are all like family." Juvia shrugged it off as not being a big deal, but Lucy was still starry eyed.

"Your…your best friend?" Lucy questioned. She silently hoped that it wasn't Loke. Lord, that would set her up for an interesting conversation later on if it was.

"Yeah…his name is Gajeel. My boyfriend is in the house too. His name is Gray."

"I thought you didn't have a boyfriend?"

Juvia shrugged her shoulders. "Well…I wouldn't say that we're officially official, but…."

The door to the bathroom creaked open and then shut as Juvia and Lucy heard the frantic shuffle of feet down the hall.

"LEVY MCGARDEN! GET YOUR CUTE BUTT BACK HERE OR I'LL MAKE YOU GO NAKED!" Lucy yelled, jumping off the bed and tracking Levy to her bedroom. The door to her room was shut and locked, causing Lucy to pound with her fist. This brought the attention of all the other girls in the house and everyone started to corral around the door.

"Come on, Lev! Open up!"

"We want to see how hot you look, short stuff!"

"Leeeevy, please!?"

"I'll make sure to bring your favorite drink if you open up and show us your outfit!"

* * *

Levy leaned against the door to her bedroom, huffing and puffing with embarrassment. She was really going out looking like this? Her dress barely covered anything, the ends of the fabric hitting just above her knees. She had to be careful about bending over or she'd flash the entire world the black panties that she wore underneath. Black dress tights left a slight sliver of flesh exposed on her upper thighs, which made her more uncomfortable than not wearing anything on her legs at all. It drew attention to that area of her body – the strangely formed fabric, although very flattering, highlighted her greatest asset. Her dress, on the other hand, was a deep red color and ended up being a rather nice contrast to her blue hair and pale skin. To ensure completeness, Levy had accented the assaulting color with black, covering her arms, neckline, and usual hair piece in it before completing her look with a choker necklace of the same color. Oh, and she couldn't forget the push-up bra that Lucy had bought her to give the 'girls' a little extra 'oomph'.

At least she'd gotten out of the heels. Thank. God.

"LEVY! We're going to bust down the door!"

Closing her eyes in defeat, Levy turned to face the growing crowd. Turning the door knob, Levy felt her face heat even more at the wide eyes and stares of her friends.

* * *

 _Li-Li: Lu, I'll text you the address to the other party. Mira and I are going to check it out and make sure it's not a dud. Have fun with Loke. ;)_

 _Lu-Lu: Okay! Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do. ;)_

Lucy placed her phone back in the bag. Lisanna had decided to scout out the other party and although Lucy had been invited, Lisanna hadn't shared the address with her. So…Lucy didn't share the address of the party she was going to either. Lisanna and Lucy were good friends – honest – but sometimes…..well, sometimes they ended up in competition with each other over stupid things like…boys.

"I don't understand why you can't just take Loke up on his offer, Lu." Levy commented from the backseat of the car as their sober driver, Erza, took them to their destination in silence. Levy had thought this was odd at first, but realized pretty quickly that Erza had probably gotten into an argument with Jellal again. The observation made the blunette pretty sad for the redhead. Erza and Jellal had so much history – almost too much – but they were so perfect together. Levy had always rooted for them.

"Because…he's a misogynistic idiot who only wants to sleep with me. Besides, I can't let Lisanna have all the fun. She's going to be all over those fools before we even get there and all the good ones will be ruined for life."

Levy chuckled in the backseat. "You never know, Lu. She could be doing you a favor."

"I'm not too worried. One of them is my study buddy for calculus anyway. He was the cutest one…well, one of the two cute ones anyway."

"Lu, what on earth am I going to do with you?"

"I think you're both crazy. Don't worry about boys – focus on school and get the hell out of here with your dignity intact." Their driver finally spoke and the girls fell silent. Even Juvia, who had been playing on her cellphone next to Levy looked up at the strong female voice and stopped what she was doing. Yes, something had indeed transpired. Poor Erza.

"Um….Erza?" Lucy questioned with concern in her voice. "Do you want to…uh…tal-."

"No."

And silence took over the vehicle until the looming building of the fraternity stood before them.

* * *

"How can you hear in this place?" Levy shouted, leaning close to Lucy. Juvia had already disappeared from the group, saying she needed to find the bathroom. Lucy had frowned at the excuse, knowing that it was more likely that she was going to find her pseudo boyfriend instead. "Is this what every party is like?"

The party was secluded to a rather large basement area. It was dark – real dark – and colored black lights were the only thing that really illuminated the room. The kitchen was off to the side and a collection of people loitered there. That was obviously the location of the alcohol, which was exactly where Lucy was dragging Levy. The pair passed what looked to be a dance floor - the music was outrageously loud, and people were packed as close as they could be without getting too uncomfortable. Overall, the party goers were enjoying themselves, mingling with one another, making new connections, and drinking into sin.

"I need two of whatever they are having." Lucy yelled to the bartender as she pointed to two girls giggling as they walked away. The bartender gave her a nod and began to pour two cups of a fruity concoction. Levy just looked around her in wonder. People really liked coming to these things, didn't they? "Here. Drink this." Lucy placed a drink into her hands and Levy took a gentle sip. Her face scrunched up in disgust, expecting something fowl to assault her taste buds…..but that something foul never came.

"Lu, this is really good!"

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe that Levy had ingested as much alcohol as she had in the short amount of time that they had been at the party. The pair of them were in a fit of giggles as they found a few mutual friends at the party. Juvia had rejoined them, saddened because she hadn't been able to locate the elusive Gray. Lucy silently wondered if he really existed, but she was going to give the other girl the benefit of the doubt before calling her crazy.

"We need more drinks!" Levy announced as she raised her empty cup in the air. "And I need to use the ladies room too."

Lucy laughed a little too hard, alcohol wiggling through her system. "Okay! You go to the bathroom and I'll go grab us some drinks. Juvia – stay here. We'll be right back!"

Lucy put her hand on Levy's shoulder. "Do you have your cellphone on you in case you get lost?" Lucy inquired.

"Lu, the bathroom is literally right there." Levy pointed to a door labeled "women" just a few feet away from Juvia. Of course Levy would be okay.

"Okay. Don't take too long. I'll miss you."

The pair parted ways, going to do what they needed to do. Lucy stood in line, waiting patiently for her turn at the counter. It felt like she was there forever before she refilled her and Levy's plastic cups with more drink. "Thanks!" She said brightly to the bartender, but as she went to leave, Lucy ran directly into someone and spilled her drink all over her feet.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The high pitched voice was awfully familiar and as Lucy regained her composure, she took a look at the girl who had caused her to stain her shoes.

"L…Lisanna?"

"L…Lucy?"

"What are you doing here!?" They both questioned at the same time.

"Loke invited me."

"This is Natsu's party."

Both girls were silent for a few moments, just looking from one another in awe. But smiles appeared on their faces and the two of them hugged in their slightly drunken stupors. "Li, you have to see Levy. She's SO much fun right now."

* * *

Thank god she had worn a dress.

Levy stumbled out of the stall, pushing her way to the sink to wash her hands. Levy took in her appearance, wincing at the slightly smeared eyeliner under her eyes. It was an easy fix, though, and Levy wiped the makeup away before refreshing it with drunken precision. She exited the bathroom soon after, stumbling out into the sea of people as she sought out her blue haired friend and Lucy.

"You're not Lucy." Levy said as she moved passed another blonde haired girl. It had been five minutes since she had left the bathroom. Levy had been fairly certain that she was in the right spot, but Juvia and Lucy were both missing. Levy didn't really care though – she moved deeper into the crowd, coming upon the dance floor with an air of enthusiasm that she'd never had when it came to dancing before.

Of course, it was soon seen why as she stumbled and stepped, finally giving up with a laugh and taking a seat on a bench against the wall.

"Oi, watch it!"

Levy jerked herself back to her feet, not realizing that she had practically sat on top of someone. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"

"Don't know how you could have missed me. I'm sitting right here in plain sight."

Levy raised an eyebrow, turning around to look at the individual she assaulted.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Shrimp." A wicked smile appeared on his face as he looked her up and down. "You clean up pretty well."

"Wait. Gajeel? What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I live here. What are you doing here?"

"I'm…I was invited."

"Sure you were, Shrimp. How about you take a seat?"

"No. No, I need to find Lucy and Juvia. They told me they'd be waiting over there but…."

"You're here with Juvia?" Gajeel laughed at that, the sound deep and calming in Levy's ears. "You're not going to find her anytime soon. I'm pretty sure she's shacked up with Gray or hell….maybe she's finally succumbed to Leon's advances. The asshole probably snuck into the party – I know he's around here somewhere."

"Gajeel. I don't know who you're talking about. But can you help me?" Levy batted her long eyelashes and Gajeel gulped hard. "Pretty please? Remember – I have dirt on you, sir."

"What? What dirt do you have, Shrimp?"

Levy giggled, pressing a fist to her mouth. "Rabid bunnies, Gajeel. Rabid bunnies."

Gajeel couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he stood, grasping her elbow and turning her away from the bench. "Fine. Let's go find your friends."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I had to divide this up into multiple parts - I hope you liked the beginning!

I'll be posting stories from Lucy's perspective, Levy's perspective, and...Juvia's perspective as three separate chapters over the course of the next three days. Enjoy. 3

R&R appreciated - Let me know what you think!


	6. All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 2

**Chapter 6: All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 2 (Levy)**

* * *

"Where'd you last see them?" Gajeel's breath was on her ear. It was hard to hear him around the crowds of people. The music was ridiculously loud and Levy was still a little drunk. Okay – she was a lotta drunk. A giggle escaped her as she turned on her heel, wrapping her arms around his middle. It took him by surprise and his own arms came down on her back to steady himself.

"Oh, Gajeel. Why were you so mean to me on our first day of class? You've been extra nice to me the last two days." Levy smiled brightly at him, her eyes drooping with intoxication. She watched as he just shook his head at her, giving a heavy sigh when she squeezed him tightly. It was an awkward moment for him, she'd come to realize later. His hands gave a soft pat on her back before moving her so that she wasn't gripping him so hard.

"Come on, Shrimp. We need to find your friends. You know – you're quite entertaining when you've had a few drinks in ya, but you really shouldn't go around hugging complete strangers."

A unique look crossed her face. It started out as a frown as she tried to listen to something in the room, but it quickly turned into a pleasently surprised expression as realization dawned upon her – this was HER song. "Oh. My. God." Gajeel just looked at Levy, confused by her sudden outburst. "Don't you just LOVE this song?" Her fingers threaded through his and before he could comprehend what was happening, Gajeel found himself on the dancefloor with Levy.

Gajeel wasn't sure what to do with himself. He barely knew the girl grinding up on him, but he placed his hands on her hips and just went with it. Levy, on the other hand, didn't really care who she was dancing with as long as she had the opportunity to move to the beat of the song.

"Oh great." Gajeel mumbled against her head. A groan escaped him in the next second as Levy dug her hips into his, eliciting a reaction from his lower half that he wasn't anticipating. A warmth seeped through him, but he didn't allow himself to focus on that. Instead, a dark haired girl approached himself and Levy with a devious smirk on her face.

"What's wrong?" Levy asked, turning around to look up at him. Gajeel was grabbing her hand and tugging her away from the dancefloor shortly thereafter. Levy attempted to fight him, insisting that he was ruining her first frat party.

"Would you please hush for a moment, Shorty?" Gajeel said with a stern voice. Levy quickly caught herself and closed her mouth, following Gajeel as he pulled her out of the basement and toward the back patio. "I just saved you from embarassing yourself." Levy was so confused. How was she embarassing herself? Gajeel ran a hand through his thick black hair and Levy watched in awe as it settled right back into place.

"You know – I really like your hair." She said brightly, forgetting that Gajeel was completely flustered just moments ago.

"Yeah, I like his hair too." A slender figure wrapped itself around Gajeel and his eyes widened. He hadn't been able to escape her. Great.

"Minnie, what are you doing here?" Gajeel asked the woman, Levy watching with curiosity.

"I'm here enjoying the party. Is that a crime?" Minnie replied with a smirk. She seemed to be quite comfortable with Gajeel.

"Wait. Wait!" Levy flung her hands up in the air, waving them at Gajeel and Minnie. "Your name is Minnie? As in Minnie Mouse?" Levy couldn't help the giggle that errupted from her. It increased in volume as she began to laugh harder. A smile could be found on Gajeel's face as he watched Levy laugh at the girl who had surprised them. If only Levy knew who she was talking to….

"No. My name is Minnie as in Minerva." Minnie's eyes narrowed in on Levy, her focus obviously transferring to the blunette instead of on Gajeel himself. Levy didn't even flinch at her words, she just continued to smile up at the other woman in her drunken stupor.

"Huh. I still like Minnie as in Minnie Mouse better. It's a great conversation starter. You should really consider it as one of your opening lines when meeting new people. I think it would make you more approachable."

Minnie scoffed at Levy, irritated that the blunette had enough nerve to give her advice. She turned her dark eyes on Gajeel once more, shaking her head in disgust. "Is this what you dumped me for? A little girl who thinks it's cool to dye her hair blue? Seriously, Gajeel. I thought you had more class than that."

Levy's small voice piped up. "Actually, it is cool to dye your hair blue. I've gotten a lot of compliments." Levy tugged at her blue locks, her smile still bright. "You should consider a color too! I think you'd look extra cute if you were to do a brighter purple! Oh my god, I have the BEST stylist. Let me see if I have her number…." Levy started to dig through her purse while Gajeel stepped in to disperse the situation.

"Minnie, we broke up last semester. Can't you just get over it already?"

"Oh, Gajeel – you really think I'd be hung up on you for this long?"

"Well, you are at my fraternity, harassing me and my friend."

"She's not half the woman I am, Gajeel. You'd be wise to remember that."

Levy's face shot up as she successfully pulled a card out of her bag. "YES! Here!" Levy shoved the card into Minnie's hand. "She's the best ever. Tell her that Levy McGarden sent you. She'll be happy to take care of you. Best ever. Honestly." Gajeel grabbed her hand, tugging her away from the other girl. Levy waved. "It was nice meeting you, Minnie Mouse!"

"It's Minerva!"

* * *

"Gajeel –" Levy started as they walked around the house in silence. "How do you know Minnie? Oh, and can I get another drink?" Gajeel's face was expressionless, but he stopped by some of his fraternity brothers and stole a beer from them.

"You sure you want more alcohol?"

Levy nodded in response and he sighed with a smile. She was going to have the worst hangover in the morning. Of course, he'd have to keep an eye on her now. He couldn't let his biostats partner die before they finished the project. Besides, Gajeel had an inkling that Levy McGarden was going to turn out to be even more fun than he'd thought before. He handed her the beer and made her promise that she was going to drink some water next.

"Now…where are your friends?" Levy shrugged her shoulders as she took a heavy drink from the can. "You're not very helpful, you know."

"Look, Gajeel – I'm just here, experiencing life. If you want to find my friends, then go find my friends. I'm perfectly happy just sitting here, drinking my beer, and watching people." Levy took a seat in the grass, her dress riding up her legs and exposing the little black panties that she had been so worried about showing off earlier that night.

"Levy, I don't think you want to do that." Gajeel muttered before hoisting her to her feet. "Come on – I know what we can do until we find your friends." His fingers laced with hers once again and Gajeel lead her back inside the house.

"Aren't you going to have a drink, Gajeel?"

He gave his head a quick shake. "No. I'm sober tonight."

* * *

His room was HUGE. Levy looked around – the walls were covered with posters and plaques, a large TV sat in the corner, and a huge king sized bed occupied the majority of the space. He had a desk with a computer on top of it, some school books scattered here and there. It was the quaintest space she'd ever seen and the best part? It was located in the attic.

"WHOA. You get your own room?" Levy asked with wonder in her eyes. She'd always heard stories of fraternitys sharing one common sleeping area, but it appeared that Gajeel got off nicely with his own abode.

"Yeah – every year, one of us gets it. I got lucky this year. I guess it was their way of keeping me in the house instead of sending me off to find my own apartment."

"Hey Gajeel?" Levy asked as she plopped down on his bed. His pillows smelled good as she laid back on their softness. "What year are you in school?"

He chuckled at her, watching Levy for just a moment. "I'm a junior. Same as Juvia."

"How do you know Juvia?"

"We met in freshman orientation and I guess she just latched onto me from there."

"Do you like….like Juvia?"

Gajeel swallowed hard. What kind of a question was that? "No, Juvia is just a friend."

"Oh. Okay."

"Why?"

Levy giggled before clenching her fist to her mouth. "No reason."

Gajeel grabbed the remote to his TV before he climbed onto the other side of his bed. "Let's watch a movie, Shrimp."

* * *

"OH MY GOD."

The high pitched voice woke Levy from her slumber. She must have passed out at the party. Her head was throbbing and she felt oddly warm for wearing next to nothing at the party.

"LEVY. DID YOU….?!"

Levy popped one eye opened, followed by the other. Lucy stood in front of her, a wicked grin on her face. "What are you talking about Lucy? Where the hell am I? Ughhhh." Levy placed her palm to the side of her body, pressing down to hoist herself up. The soft material moved and a deep groan escaped what she had thought was just a pillow.

"Oi. Settle down!" A heavy arm wrapped around her torso, forcing her to lay back down on the bed. Lucy was practically crying with joy. A tear stained Juvia stood behind Lucy shaking her head and looking utterly distraught. Was that the sun coming up outside the window? What time was it? Who was she sleeping with?

"Gajeel!" His name escaped her lips as realization dawned on her. Holy shit. She'd fallen into bed with Gajeel. "What the hell are you doing? Get off me!" She fought him tooth and nail. Confusion crossed his sleep filled face, but he sat up quickly and removed his arm from the blunette beside him.

"Oh. Hey, it looks like we found your friends." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

Yes. Her friends had indeed been found.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Ah! I love this.

R&R please!


	7. All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 3

**Chapter 7: All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 3**

* * *

While Levy was preoccupied, Lucy was...

* * *

"Come on, if you're going to be on my team, you'd better step your game up." Lucy picked up the ping pong ball, aiming for the plastic cups across from her. Lisanna frowned next to her, watching Lucy's form and taking pointers to improve her own style. "You just gotta hold the ball like this..." Lucy's fingers twisted to cup the ball. "And then you have to toss it like this - not too hard, but not too soft either." The small ball released from her hand, landing on the rim of the cup. The two girls held their breaths, waiting to see if it would fall into the cup or not. It seemed like the longest three seconds of their lives and once the ball sunk into the cup, squeals of happiness erupted from their chests.

"EAT THAT, NATSU!"

"YEAH! YOU GUYS JUST GOT BEAT BY TWO GIRLS!"

The pinked haired man looked at his partner, a solemn grin on his face. "Dude." Natsu muttered. "We just lost."

"This is not what I had in mind when I signed up for this, Flame Brain." Laxus looked at the two girls across from them. "But..." He sighed and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "A deal is a deal."

More squeals of laughter ripped from the two girls. This was the best game that they had ever played. Lucy felt the drunken smile widen on her face as the first of the two men stepped forward. Laxus, although he wouldn't admit to it, was enjoying the moment. Stripping naked in front of two hot girls? He could get on board with this. A lazy smile was on his face as he slowly lifted his shirt up his abs. "Enjoy the show, ladies."

Meanwhile, Natsu looked on at the show Laxus was putting on, rolling his eyes as it seemed that the blonde man was enjoying himself immensely. "It's almost as if you wanted to lose, Laxus!" Natsu quickly tore his eyes away from Laxus as he started to remove his shirt, his eyes lingering on the busty blonde and her companion. Lucy had been entertaining - her smile and laughter were infectious. Lisanna, on the other hand, had an innocence about her that made her just as appealing to the pink haired man. If he got the chance to bed either of them, he'd be happy.

"Your pants next!" A new voice squealed. Natsu's attention was now drawn to an older female who looked an awful lot like Lisanna.

"What. Wait. Who is that? I thought this was a private show?"

"Laxus. You're out on the patio. I'm pretty sure every girl in the vicinity is watching you right now."

The blonde puffed out his chest proudly, even if a little red tint rose to his cheeks. His hands moved down to the button on his blue jeans and the rest was history.

"I think Mira is going to faint."

"I think I'm going to faint!"

"Lucy, this was the best idea we've ever had!"

Lucy and Lisanna high-fived each other as Laxus stood in front of the three ladies in nothing but his birthday suit. "Natsu, it's your turn! A deal is a deal!" Lucy said with a grin. Lisanna giggled and cupped her fist to her mouth.

Natsu trudged forth, grumbling about how he had thought this would have worked out in his favor better. His hands gripped his shirt and Lucy found herself holding her breath. If Laxus had looked glorious, Natsu was sure to impress her even more.

Minutes later, two nicely built male figures stood before her and Lucy put her fingers to her lips to whistle loudly. "Alright boys, take your laps!" Again, her face filled with mirth as the guys looked from one another and shrugged. They had to run around the house three times before they could put their clothes on.

"I think we need to party like this more often." Lisanna muttered as they watched the guys start their run.

"I think I completely agree with you, Li." Lucy nodded her approval.

"I didn't think it would be that easy to get you out of your clothes, Natsu." Lucy said with a smile as they sat around a fire pit, drinking beer. The entire group had reclothed and began settling down. The party was growing more and more quiet, giving the participants a more relaxed and chill vibe.

"Haha, you just wait until the rematch!" Natsu said with a laugh. Lucy was enjoying her night, but a yawn escaped her. It had to be getting late and she had to get some studying done tomorrow.

Studying...it reminded her of textbooks. Her mind started to turn - she was forgetting something, but what?

"Hey Lu?" Lisanna asked as she took a sip out of a water bottle. "Where's Levy?"

Lucy's face turned ghostly pale at the mention of Levy. How could she have forgotten about her best friend?!

"Lu?" Lisanna's voice held concern. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

* * *

Lucy stumbled room by room, searching for her best friend and coming up empty handed. Maybe she had returned to their house? A quick text to Erza, who was extremely irritated that NO ONE had returned her phone calls over an hour ago, confirmed that Levy had not come home and if someone didn't find her, Lucy was going to have to face more than just the guilt associated with losing Levy.

"Come on, Lev. Where the hell are you?" Panic coated her voice, and as she tossed open the door to the next room, a surprised scream shocked her to a standstill.

Her eyes would never be the same again.

Standing before her was a head of blue hair, a long slender body, and two men who looked like they meant business.

"Please - stop fighting!" Juvia cried, begging them to cease fire upon one another.

Lucy stepped beside her newly found friend, deciding moral support might be needed...even if Juvia was a little weird. "Juvia - What's going on?"

"If you want to fight, let's fight!" It was Gray's voice that caught Lucy's attention next. Juvia struggled to keep back a sob as she watched Gray throw a punch at the other guy. Who was he? Why were they fighting?

"Who is that guy? And why is fighting with Gray?"

Juvia didn't turn her attention away from the pair, but her voice was firm as she spoke. "Lucy, it's a long story but I hope they don't take things too far. I didn't mean any harm!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Here we go! More fun from Lucy while Levy is with Gajeel...what caused Gray to get into a fight? What did Juvia do? And who was hotter - Laxus or Natsu?**

 **R &R guys! I love hearing from you! 3**


	8. All My Friends Are Wasted - Part 4

**Chapter 8: All My Friends Are Wasted - FINAL PART (#4)**

* * *

Her arms were wrapped around a complete stranger.

Lucy couldn't believe this.

"Juvia, do NOT caress Gray like that in a time like this!" Lucy's face was pressed into a solid frown. Juvia was obviously enjoying herself way too much, but it had been the only way they could get the two grown men apart. "You two are acting like idiots. Seriously. Over a stupid bet!" Lucy tugged the light haired man away from Gray, but both men looked to have an icy fire in their eyes. Was a girl really that worth it?

"Look blondie, that asshole has no right to use Juvia as a bargaining chip!" Gray's anger floated through the room while the person that Lucy was holding struggled against her.

"You nudist! I was only protecting her reputation! She shouldn't be caught with the likes of you – running around here in nothing but your underwear. Everyone will think she's nothing but a whore!"

"Lyon, you're an idiot. And I'm not a fucking nudist!" An object hurtled through the air and Lucy let out a yelp as she ducked, pulling the mysterious Lyon in front of her. A shoe hit him in the face and a surprised yelp escaped him.

"I thought you were trying to keep us from hurting each other?" Lyon said to Lucy. She just shrugged in response, silently laughing at the entire situation. As much as it irritated her to see two people fighting in a drunken stupor like this, it also was quite entertaining. At least Juvia knew that if Gray didn't reciprocate her feelings, she had Lyon to rebound to. Not that Lyon should be considered a second choice – he was just as good looking as Gray was, in Lucy's mind. Definitely not her type, but definitely still attractive.

A second shoe whizzed past Lucy and Leon. "Enough!" Lucy screamed in frustration. She didn't want to get a black eye from flying objects. "If you so much as touch the hairs on my arm with any object, Gray, I will make sure it's the biggest mistake of your life!" Lucy dug her fingernails into Lyon's arm, pushing him into the couch that occupied a large portion of the room. "You." She pointed at him, staring him down at the same time. "Sit there and shut up." Lucy turned to Juvia and Gray, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she directed her attention to the dark haired man. "You." This time her finger was pointing toward the shirtless Gray. "Sit next to him. You're both in time out!"

Lucy wasn't sure how that worked, but it did. Both men were sitting next to each other, their arms crossed over their chests and Juvia perched atop a chair. Her face was still tear stained, obviously having cried as soon as the two man children in the room started laying the punches on one another. Lucy didn't blame her – it'd be a shaky situation to see two people you cared about fighting. It was obvious that Juvia did have a special place in her heart, not only for Gray, but for Lyon as well. There had been a look of gratitude when he had mentioned protecting her dignity.

"Okay okay. Let me get the story straight." Lucy started, pacing in front of them while her hands moved as she talked. "You two were playing a game with Juvia and some of the other girls."

"Not just any game, Lucy. Truth or Dare." Juvia squeaked from the corner, but quickly regretted her decision as Lucy's narrowed gaze caught her.

"Fine. You two were playing truth or dare with Juvia and some friends." Lucy paused for a moment and sighed. Who in the hell played Truth or Dare in college? What were they – twelve? "And someone dared Gray to kiss Juvia."

"Yes, you have it correct, Lucy. The nudist was dared to kiss the lovely Juvia. It was an inappropriate and insulting dare."

"As you've mentioned, Lyon. So you decided to take things into your own hand and essentially jump Gray."

"Well, that's kind of harsh –"

"Yes, that's exactly what he did. I was just following through with what I had been tasked with." Gray interrupted, lurching forward so that Lucy would listen to him first. He was practically in her face, which caused Lucy to put her hands out in front of her and shove him back down onto the couch.

"I told you to sit your ass on the couch, Gray!" Lucy screamed, her voice dark and threatening. Gray swallowed hard and crossed his arms over his chest again. "So one thing led to another and then you guys were betting on sleeping with Juvia? Who does that?" Lucy could see Juvia's face redden out of the corner of her eyes. "How could you still want to hang out with these losers after that?" This time, Lucy's interrogation was directed toward Juvia, who hiccupped as tears welled in her eyes.

"B…because…"

"No. You should be respected better than this. We might not know each other very well, Juvia, but you're still a woman and should not be treated like a pawn. You should get to decide who you sleep with – these idiots have no control of that." Lucy turned her angry gaze toward the boys who were looking at her with deep regret.

"I'm sorry –"

"We never meant to disrespect her –"

"It wasn't like that, we swear."

"Yeah, Lucy – we'd never do anything to make Juvia feel like she's less important like that."

Lucy's angry gaze stayed on their face. "This entire situation is completely fucked up. I'm here with two of my friends, one of whom is missing and the other of whom just had her sex life betted upon. I still don't understand how you two know each other or Juvia and…." Her finger jutted toward Lyon. "Why the hell you're at this party. Aren't you in another fraternity on campus?" Lyon started to explain, but Lucy quieted him. "Look- at this point, it doesn't matter. You two - I'm disappointed in your actions. You're lucky I don't call your mothers." Lucy shook her head as she continued her lecture. "Neither of you are allowed to speak or even look at Juvia until you've properly apologized."

Lucy turned toward the blunette in the corner. "Come on Juvia. Let's leave these two idiots and find Levy. Surprisingly, I'm tired and want to go home. We've been here way too long and the party is dying anyway." Lucy held out her hand for Juvia to grasp.

"Thanks, Lucy. Juvia is awfully grateful to you for sticking up for her."

* * *

"There's only one room left to check." Loki stood in front of Lucy, giving her a curious look over. It was about time she'd found him – hadn't he been the one to invite her to the party?

"Thanks for helping us, Loki. You know I owe you one." Lucy said with a breathless thanks. She regretted her choice of words quickly, knowing that he'd want her to pay up in ways she didn't want to.

"Good. Now I can finally get you to go out on that date I've been asking you about for the last year." His smile was too bright for her to tolerate. The throbbing of her head was an indication that she'd be having a massive hangover soon. The sun was beginning to rise and Lucy sighed. She'd lost track of time while she'd been dealing with Juvia and her situation.

"Do you think Levy is there? She won't answer her phone, Lucy." Juvia muttered, an anxious look on her face. Lucy was glad that Levy had another friend that cared, even if Lucy still wasn't sure how she felt about Juvia yet.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Lucy's hand turned the door knob to the attic. "I just don't know why she'd be with that Gajeel guy you both keep mentioning. Isn't he like the bad boy in her biostats class?" Lucy pondered for a moment. That'd be a really really good idea for a novel. With a shrug, she leaned into the door, pushing it open to view what was inside.

Juvia let out a high pitched squeal and Lucy's eyes widened. Lying on his bed, wrapped in an extremely intimate position, were Levy and the brooding Gajeel. "OH. MY. GOD."

* * *

Levy moaned as she walked barefoot on the side walk. Erza had been supremely pissed off when they had tried to call her for a ride home. Didn't they know what time it was? They should have been more considerate. Levy was in her own personal version of hell too. Lucy and Juvia wouldn't stop asking her questions about Gajeel and what had happened, but the only answers that Levy had been able to give them were firm "I don't remember"s. Levy had her own questions for the pair – like why had they ditched her anyway? What took them so long to find her? Why was Juvia's face stained with mascara?

"We're almost there, Lev. Just suck it up a bit longer and then you can spend all day recovering."

"Um, guys – would it be okay if I crashed on your couch?"

"Yeah. We actually have an open bedroom. You can crash there."

"Thanks. My car is at your place but I really don't want to drive home with a headache like this."

Levy's cellphone was dead. She wished that it had a little bit of juice left so that she could play on it while they walked home. At least she'd be able to see if there were any pictures for evidence. But alas, that was a no go, and Levy was stuck with Juvia and Lucy continuously chatting away as if they didn't have a throbbing headache too.

They were not human. It was a conclusion Levy had come to as they approached the house. She quickly ran up the stairs, through the doors, and to her bedroom. She made sure to lock the door so that none of her friends could bother her. A yawn escaped her as she plugged in her cellphone. She crawled under the covers a few moments later, snuggling deep within their warmth, but surprisingly, it hadn't been as comfortable as the bed she'd been in just a little while ago.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry for not updating this past week. I've been working on buying a house and we're going through the closing process. Plus work has been hella ridiculous.

Aside from this, I have also updated one of my Gajevy stories - Nothin' On My Mind. You should check it out if you get the chance!

R&R appreciated.

I'm really curious to see what's on Levy's phone, aren't you? Plus the answer to the ever looming question - Who was hotter? Laxus or Natsu?


	9. Hurt Me

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Levy groaned. Was there a bee somewhere in her room?

 _Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Seriously. What was that noise?

 _Ding!_

"Make it stop. Ughhhhhh." She tugged a pillow over her head and groaned. She'd had a lot of fun last night, but her stomach was queasy this morning and her head was throbbing like someone beat her upside it with a hammer. Was this what a hangover felt like?

"Levy! Are you alive? It's like, 8 o'clock! You've slept your day away." One of the girls called to her through her door. "Plus, I think you need to check Facebook." Levy's eyes scrunched with irritation, but she removed the pillow that was covering her head, tossing it to the side, and rolled her body to the cellphone that was laying on her nightstand.

The green notification light was blinking like a beacon. She'd remembered that it had died before Lucy and Juvia had gotten her home. Visions of the party came back to her and she groaned again.

She'd fallen asleep in Gajeel Redfox's bed. Fuck.

Levy fumbled as she grabbed for the white phone that was causing so much noise. It was like everyone on campus was trying to get ahold of her or something. Seriously – she'd never seen it act like this before. Hopefully nothing bad had happened…..

Pressing the center button, the screen flashed to life. Three Facebook notifications greeted her.

1\. "You've been tagged in a photo by…."

2\. "Minerva Orland has sent you a private message…."

3\. "Gajeel Redfox has requested a relationship change…."

Levy rubbed her forehead, trying to comprehend everything staring back at her. Opening the app, she clicked on the picture first. The caption caused her to blush.

 _"Ladies, looks like Gajeel Redfox is officially off the market as of this morning. Is sophomore Pre-Med student Levy McGarden responsible for this unexpected change? We certainly hope so._

 _Xoxo – The Staff at Sorcerer's Weekly_

 _Sorcerer's Weekly is your access to all of the best campus news and gossip; PUBLISHED DAILY ONLINE, WEEKLY IN PRINT. Stop by the office to grab your copy and support your campus! Go Sorcerer's!"_

"You have to be kidding me." The words were out of her mouth in an instant. Staring at her was a collage of pictures featuring Gajeel and herself from last night. There was one from when she'd grabbed him for a dance. There was another when he'd held her hand and took her to his room. A third showed them looking at one another outside, a smile on Gajeel's face and a drunk grin on hers. And finally, the most damning of them all: a picture of the two of them, curled up on Gajeel's bed, his hand planted firmly on her ass as her arms looped around his neck. They were sleeping, of course, but the image was too intimate for her liking. After all, she'd just met the guy and he was turning out to be quite a dick.

"This cannot be happening to me."

Squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing her forehead, she decided to check the message that some Minerva Orland chick had sent her. Clicking on Minerva's profile image, she realized just who it was.

"I remember her from last night – that Minnie girl!" Levy smiled fondly, hoping that she really did check out Levy and Juvia's stylist. The purple would be flattering to her facial features. But a shocked gasp escaped her two seconds later. She knew EXACTLY who Minerva Orland was. Her father happened to be the Dean of…..No. This couldn't be happening to her, Levy McGarden, good girl, unexciting bookworm, and all around humanitarian Levy McGarden. The panic that settled in her stomach caused her to lurch forward and Levy quickly pressed open the message at the side of her screen. The little bubble sprang to life and her heart caught in her chest.

 _You've messed with the wrong person, Levy McGarden. Kiss your chances of getting into my father's medical program goodbye, you whore._

Tears welled up in her eyes and for a moment, Levy thought that her dreams had been flushed down the toilet. All because of one party. All because of one stupid boy. "This cannot be happening to me."

With the sides of her hands, she wiped away the few tears that had threatened to drop down her face, closing out of Facebook and ignoring the third request. She couldn't even comprehend that one in the slightest right now.

"LUCY!" Levy screamed from her bed, holding her head afterward because it throbbed from the exertion. The electronic device that had ruined her life sat in front of her on her bed, calling to her to check the other notifications on her screen, but Levy wasn't sure she had enough willpower.

"LU! I need you!" But Lucy never came.

Checking the time on her phone, she realized it was well passed dinnertime and Lucy had a study session with her calculus partner. She wouldn't be home for another hour. Until then, Levy was doomed to deal with this mess herself. There was no way that she could ask any of the other girls for help. There was no way that they would be even interested in….

"Levy? Are you okay?"

Her bedroom door peeked open, but there was no mistaking that voice. Long hair flowed around the intruder's shoulders and the smell of lilacs graced her nose. Levy was momentarily blinded by the surprise of it all, but the sob that wracked her shoulders caused the other girl to move quickly.

"Ezra….I should have listened to you. You're right. I shouldn't have gone to that party. I should have just stayed home with you!"

The warm embrace from her friend comforted her, but there was still something that Levy needed to do before she crumbled completely. "Can you just sit here while I keep trying to figure out what happened to me last night? I don't suppose you'd have any idea?"

Erza's head shook. "No, Levy, I'm sorry. Lucy said you'd wandered off last night for a bit. They couldn't find you. But if anyone would know about what happened last night, I'd say you'd need to ask…."

"Gajeel Redfox."

Immediately, Levy picked up her phone, flicking through a few screens before hitting her unopened text messages. There were quite a few waiting on her, namely from her friends Lisanna, Lucy, and Juvia. Two unknown numbers stared at her, and each of them had several messages for her to review when she got to them. But the final number that stared at her only had one message for her.

 **Gajeel Redfox:** _Text me if you're alive._

* * *

In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, I've started to write again! It's been a crazy couple of months, but let's see if I can finish a few Gajevy stories for you. As always, R & R is appreciated.

Welcome back to Skinny Love, everyone! 3


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